I can sort of understand why many writers felt attracted to the Swiss capital – the crisp air and the magnificent mountain and lake views do invite to take a contemplative walk that might result in at least a good mood or, if one is lucky, in an inspiration. From Joyce to Lenin, Zürich has been a home for many famous authors, who loved nothing more than a glass of champagne at the famous bar Odeon. BTW, it is a very welcoming place, despite its seemingly posh appearance.
Despite the weather and the prices (no, I don’t want a kebab for 10 euros, thank you very much and yes I am fed up with eating from a supermarket cafe with Swiss grandmas and grandpas), I did find the city on the lake attractive because of a number of decent bookstores it has. The one I frequented the most is called Orell Füssli (I think about 90 per cent of all the Swiss names end in li, which sounds like baby babbling, wtf?). For English books, go to the one on Füsslistrasse 4, which is actually Zürich’s biggest English-language bookshop with thousands of fiction and non-fiction books, magazines, audio books and DVDs – and all in English.
Interestingly, this is a Swiss printing and bookselling company, established as far back as in 1519 as a book printer and publisher. The bookshop itself is huge – several floors, and what I liked most of all is the staff recommendations and the displays. Honestly, I’ve picked up a great one (!!) by Stuart Turton because it was in the “recommended by the staff” section. I was there at Christmas time, and the Christmas collections on display were all done with great care – from winter recipes and poetry to something more elusive but nevertheless beautiful like Nigel Slater’s The Christmas Chronicles.
Apart from books in all possible genres, there are also many satellite goodies sold, like tote bags, tea sets, biscuits and the like that we the bookworms also appreciate.
The prices are – yes – Swiss, but how about that – if the weather is not inviting to walk along the lake, pop into Orell Füssli, get a pile of wonderfully smelling volumes and sink deep into a leather armchair thoughtfully provided by the bookseller (also kindly note the carpet!) – all for free. There is also a Starbucks inside with a memorable view over St. Annahof – a beautiful Art Nouveau building that now hosts a Coop supermarket and restaurant (the cheap food, for those of us that better spend their money on a book 🙂 ).
